


The Son of Tartarus and Rhea Book One: The Lightning Thief

by ohpleaseiwillendyou



Series: The Son of Tartarus and Rhea [2]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: F/F, F/M, Genderfluid!Percy, I can't wait to get further into this, M/M, Other, Sally Jackson is so awesome she can make everyone cower, i don't really know how to tag, so just read the story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-19
Updated: 2020-09-20
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:34:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26545300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohpleaseiwillendyou/pseuds/ohpleaseiwillendyou
Summary: Book 1, The Lightning Thief is finally here. I recommend you read The Son of Tartarus and Rhea: Prologue. It'll clear up a bit of the confusion.Percy Jackson is the reincarnated brother of the Olympians. He is the son of Sally Jackson and Poseida, who both raised him until he was three, then Poseida 'died' leaving their small family devastated.  Percy won't bow to prophecies, instead lives to create his own path. How will this all affect the timeline created to ensure the victory of the gods?I don't own Percy Jackson, Lord Rick Riordan does. I do own Poseida though.
Relationships: Luke Castellan/Percy Jackson, Percy Jackson & Grover Underwood, Sally Jackson/Poseidon (Percy Jackson)
Series: The Son of Tartarus and Rhea [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1930318
Kudos: 14





	1. #1: Mrs. Dodds Tries to Kill Honey

Percy missed his late mother that he could never remember. He couldn't remember her name but nothing else and never dared ask Mom her name. Percy was content with her old Navy Seal's jacket she wore on her last day. It was torn and beat up a thousand times, but Percy learned to sew it back up from his mom and he could still smell the sea clinging to the jacket.

"Hey man." Grover was his only friend he ever had that he could remember. His mom had told him he had an old friend from before but Percy could not find him anywhere again after something happened to his mom and they had to leave. Anyway, Grover was scrawny, had crutches, always wore a baseball hat, and was a mother hen in everything ever.

"Hey" They fist bumped and got on the old yellow school bus. Percy wondered if whoever thought that color was acceptable was not at all sane. Seriously, a banana color school bus!

Anyway, we were going to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to look at Greek and Roman stuff. It should be interesting, as Mr. Brunner was leading the trip.

So Mr. Brunner is a respectable middle-aged man that is wheel-chaired for whatever reason. He could have been born that way or lost them in an accident, but Percy didn't know which. He is the only adult other than his mothers he respected and was very fun when teaching, enough to make me not fall asleep, which is a feat, as Percy can sleep through practically everything and anything just ask Grover. He plays with swords in class and has fun challenges nobody can complete but is fun to do anyway.

Their chaperone, well, to say Percy hates her is an understatement. Mrs. Dodds was the most vile person on the planet, well next to Nancy Bobofit, but she is a different matter altogether. Anyway, if Mrs Dodds turns out to not be human and try to eat the class, Percy will not be surprised (and will throw Nancy at her first). He expressed those feelings to Grover and he agreed with me and said I wasn't that wrong, which had a tone that I couldn't pick out in it.

Nancy Bobofit is the devil itself. She is a bully that deserves everything bad she gets. Her cheeto colored freckles cover her entire face like when a kindergartener tries to paint and flings the paint onto the canvas. No, that's better than Nancy's face. Cross it with her fiery red hair, and you get the model of ugliness that haunts you in every dream you've ever had.

Anyway back to the school trip, I had high hopes that is would be good with Mr. Brunner leading and hopefully he does not make it boring like field trips usually are. The bus ride there was filled with peanut butter and ketchup sandwiches being thrown at him and Grover by the bully of the year.

"That's it" Percy stood, ready to stop Nancy from messing with them anymore.

"Come on dude, you're on suspension" The exploding goldfish was not his fault at all. Like he would harm sea life at all. Percy huffed and sat back down to watch the boring cars go by.

\----------------------------

Percy POV

The trip was more fun than I ever thought, and weirder, definitely weirder than I thought would happen.

It started at the painting of Kronos eating his children (and he didn't have other things to do than a stupid prophecy? Like take care of his kingdom and raise his kids?) and Mr. Brunner was talking about an ancient story that I have memorized by now.I loved the Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Norse, and other myths with a passion, but I did have a reputation that would be ruined if I geeked out too much.

Nancy was snickering at something (probably the picture of the girl on the stele. Yes, Nancy was so cruel as to laugh at dead people) and I wished for her to really stop. I did not need to know what she was snickering to her "popular" friends about and wanted them to stop, so I voiced my opinion that naturally came out too loud.

"Mr. Jackson, would you like to add something?" Mr. Brunner singled me out, stupid radar ears. The snickering increased around me as I fought an embarrassed blush.

"No" I looked around, avoiding the older man's older and wiser eyes.

"Then what does this painting represent?" I knew exactly what it was, my mother had brought me when I was younger with mom and told me the stories. After her death, I had cherished those memories by searching up all the myths of the different religions and then became fascinated by them.

"Kronos eating his kids" I could have easily added to it, but we were in 6th grade at a field trip and I was on probation (more like a watch. I was very sure some of the government has been watching me or something else).

"And why did he do that?" Curse Mr. Brunner and his ability to read minds so easily.

"Because Kronos was the king Titan and didn't trust his kids because of a prophecy and he ate them to make sure. But his wife Rhea was smart and his baby Zeus away and he grew up there. Insert his boring childhood and how he got close to Kronos, and eventually he tricked his father to barfing up his siblings. And they had a major war that lasted however long and in short the gods won*" I finished boredly as the girls ewwed and looked green.

"That is correct Mr. Jackson." Mr. Brunner finally took the imaginary spotlight off of me and strayed off this topic.

"Like we're going to use this in real life. In our job application, their going to ask 'why did Kronos eat his kids" Nancy mumbled to a friend of her.

"Any why, Mr. Jackson, does it matter in real life?" He looked at me. I could imagine an imaginary spotlight hit me as everything else darkened. If I hadn't respected him so much, then I would have given him a death stare that has stopped many in their tracks. I have been perfecting it over the years I have changed schools so the others didn't tease me so much.

Back to the question (stupid ADHD), I had a feeling this had more of a deeper meaning to it than first intendended, but I bluffed it either way.

"Busted" Stupid goat of a best friend. Goat? Where did that thought come from? I'll ponder that later.

"Shut up" Oh, he said that to Nancy, well she did deserve it.

"I don't know sir" Each time my parents had talked to me about myths and things that are not true, they always had a hint of seriousness to it and I always had a fleeting thought to learn it all to survive. I never got that far on when I pondered it.

"I see" There was that old man look in his eye that never failed to make me guilt about something. "Well half credit Mr. Jackson. Zeus indeed..." I zoned him out as I noticed a blond dude get hit by a brick from who knows where. Some other dudes snicker as the girls wished he was okay and talked about how hot he was. I had to admit he was cute but I wasn't going to gossip to Grover about it. "On that happy note, Mrs. Dodds, could you lead us outside?" A happy note was not talking about how you made your father throw up your siblings and then slice him up in bits and pieces, but go figure Mr. Brunner.

We drifted off the the cloudy outside. Girls heald their stomachs from the stories and guys acted like, as I quote my mother, idiots that they are (I know everything but her name. How sad is that?)

"Mr Jackson" Of course I get singled out, did the higher beings hate me or something? I stayed behinds as Grover shot me a sympathetic look. "You must learn to answer my question"

"About the Titans?" I cocked my head.

"About real life and how your studies applied to it." Does that mean the myths are more than just myths? He is implying something like that and it would explain the one eyes man from my childhood. A cyclops, one eyed beings, descendants of Gaea, the earth.

"Oh" Better play dumb as usual until I figure this all out and process it.

"What you learn from me is vitally important. I expect the best from you Percy Jackson." I could practically see the years of the past passing through his eyes at that very moment. Is Mr. Brunner something more than a history teacher? Is he a veteren of war like my mother or does he know more about everything than what he projects?

He dismissed me to lunch on the cloudy day that felt so off, but nothing was. Mrs. Dodds, who quickly labeled me as the devil's spawn, was watching me out of the corner of her eye as she pretended not to see Nancy poorly attempting to pickpocket someone.

"Detention?" Grover asked as I took out my lunch.

"Nope, not this time, but do you have this weird feeling of someone watching you too?" He froze for a millisecond before shaking his head. "Though with Mr. Brunner, I wish he'd stop getting on me for not knowing things, I'm not exactly a genius" That you know. I've been downplaying who I am for my whole life, so you nor Mr. Brunner know how smart I am.

"Well, can I have your apple" Grover was a pig when eating, I'm sure if he had the chance, he would have eaten real furniture like an actual goat. Wait, why am I referring to him as a goat so much?

"Sure." I wasn't exactly hungry and the clouds were easing me at all. Nancy then 'snuck' (she was horrible at stealth) up to me and Grover to dumper her lunch 'accidentally' on Grover's lap. Even for her that was cruel and the next thing I knew, Nancy was sitting on the water fountain saying that I pushed her in her annoying voice that I wanted to pulverize.

Mrs. Dodds materialized next to us.

Whispers of the water grabbing her surrounded us as Mrs. Dodds started with her annoying 'Now honey' [Percy, you have no idea].

"I know" I grumbled "A month erasing math books" That wasn't the right thing to say.

"Come with me"

"Wait!" Grover was such a loyal friend. "It was me. I pushed her." Especially when Mrs. Dodds scared him to death all the time.

"I don't think so Mr. Underwood." His whiskey chin trembled at her glare and honestly I couldn't blame him.

"But-"

"It's fine man, I'll see you later" I saved him from punishment. She singled me out, so he had nothing to do with it. "Thanks for trying though"

"Honey," There was it with that annoying nickname. "Now"

I glared my famous I'll-kill-you-later stare and smirked when she trembled so much her legs almost gave out. As I turned around, Mrs. Dodds vanished and appeared on the step's entrance. I blinked but followed, my theory on myths being true being proved every single second.

While I followed the literally disappearing teacher, I thought what punishment I would get this time. Buy Nancy a new shirt? Clean the dorms again? Cook in the kitchens? (The last one everyone has been trying to do, saying I was a good cook, which wasn't that hard to accomplish, you did not want to know the things I have found in the lunches).

The strangest thing about this all, the museum halls were empty while before they were packed to the brim.

She stopped at the Greek and Roman section at the frieze, glaring at it like she wanted to pulverize it, a look I had thought was a permanent look on her face until she met Nancy after she got suspended. Then it turned to an evil smirk.

After I caught up, she started monologuing the same as villains in books and movies do.

"You've been giving us problems honey." That nickname is cursed and I mean it.

"Yes ma'am" I attempted to be polite, this was a teacher after all. Mrs. Dodds tugged on the cuff of her typical leather jacket that gave her a biker's look.

"Did you really think you would get away with it?" It seemed deeper that me 'pushing' Nancy into the water fountain.

"I'll try harder ma'am" I surprisingly didn't stutter. Thunder shook the building but I never remembered it even started raining. Weather is bizarre.

"We are not fools Percy Jackson-" We? "It was only a matter of time before we found you out. Confess and you'll suffer less pain." I had no idea who or what she was talking about and played the dumb card, hopefully that'll work.

I might be able to think of what (Candy sales, essays I forged on a stupid book) but not who. Her saying 'we' implies there are other people than her.

"Well?"

"Ma'am, I don't"

"Your time is up." What time? To turn in an essay or something, I remember turning them all in... Then everything turned upside down in my life.

She changed into a human bat, with large leather-like wings with talons. Well, a shriveled old lady bat that is definitely not human. So I was right about the myths not being just myths because my teacher just turned into a fury described just like in the myths. She seemed hungry as her yellow eyes focused in me with terrifying intent.

Somehow things got stranger.

Mr. Brunner, who had used his excellent ability to ignore people and used to be at the place where we ate lunch reading his magazine, wheeled in with a pen in his hand. What was a pen supposed to do at this time?

"What ho, Percy!" He had the strangest speech patterns in the world and threw the pen that I would easily lose if I got out of this alive.

Somehow with the power of whatever, the pen was not a sword when I reflexively caught it in my hand, despite how I never had practiced any of my reflexes and they should have been really dull right now.

Mrs. Dodds still wanted to kill me even with Mr. Brunner's sword in my hand, well I could imagine, seeing I should be a pathetic image. My knees were shaking and my hands were sweating enough to fill an olympic pool.

"Die Hiney!" I had a fleeting image of her attacking honey but had no time to savor it when she attacked with her creepy straight out of a horror movie wings and talons.

Even after all these years, my mother's small teachings came to me coupled with the rare times Mom could teach me inbetween work, and I swung the sword, diverting my eyes so they wouldn't get damaged first. I got lucky and the sword went straight through like water and dissolved like sand.

That was it, I was alone covered in sand or dust (I couldn't tell at the moment) in a museum that had statues with eyes that followed you everywhere and anywhere. Mr. Brunner was nowhere to be found despite being there mer seconds ago.

My hands were still trembling as the adrenaline rushed out of me and the rain fell outside. Had I imagined the whole thing? I still had the same exact pen Mr. Brunner tossed. This was all a cruel joke to try and get me suspended. I numbly walked back to the main entrance, soaked but energized.

Grover waited outside as Nancy tried to dry off with one of the other's shirts they loaned to be nice. "I hope Mrs. Kerr whipped your butt" She grumbled at me as the attempt failed.

"Who?" Okay, now I was losing it.

"Our teacher, duh" Oh she's Miss Smart Alec now.

We had not teacher named Mrs. Kerr, so I confronted her about that fact. And the other girl just rolled her eyes and turned away, apparently done with me for the day and I occupied my time with better things to do by asking Grover who Mrs. Dodds was.

"Who?" Okay Grover is the worst liar in the world and you could obviously tell as he refused to look at me straight in the eye and paused before answering.

"Not funny man, this is serious." Thunder boomed ahead again, it seemed to have a mind of it's own since I've never seen lightning the whole time here.

I looked for Mr. Brunner for a better explanation, and he was in the same place and looked like he had never moved, but I knew he had. Grover's hesitance gave me all I needed.

"Ah, that would be my pen. Please bring your own writing utensil in the future, Mr. Jackson." I handed him the pen in complete confusion. Grover and Mr. Brunner were giving me completely mixed signals.

"Sir, where's Mrs. Dodds?"

"Who?" He was much better than Grover at lying, I'll give him that much.

"The other chaperone, you know what, whatever." I left to join the bigger group, not missing the relieved glance of my two companions.


	2. #2: I befriend the people who can control my life

After the weirdest day of my life (the sock incident did not count), everyone acted like it never happened. It was like I was in a gaming seminar 24/7 and never going to get out. The Mrs. Kerr person was a perky blond woman that was pretty cool and everyone, including her, was convinced that she had been there all along. Because I had a reputation of being a troublemaker kid, I had to spring a Mrs. Dodds reference every once in a while to see everyone get tripped up all of a sudden.

Grover didn't have the kind of reaction I was hoping for, he would just stop whatever he was doing and stall for a few seconds before trying to laugh it off nervously. I'm suspicious of him a bit, but for no reason whatsoever.

Anyway, nothing freaky really happened the rest of the year and soon enough, I had three hour exams to get through and the inevitable thing of me being kicked out of this school once again.

The night before my latin exam, I tried to stay up studying and actually get a good grade, but my dyslexia acted up and made the words swim on the page and refuse to stay there where I can see it. I eventually gave up and threw the book across the room, anger consuming me. It took a few seconds to realize what I did and pick up the book.

I looked around the empty dorm and sat back down. Maybe if I asked for help, then it'll be better to study? No, well maybe, I don't know because I've never asked for help anymore. Having a 'bad boy' reputation doesn't help when asking for help apparently.

I then made my choice, maybe Mr. Brunner might be willing to help me in this. It is latin after all. Maybe he has a trick for latin verbs or remembering the difference between Chiron and Charon.

Grover was out, so I left him a note saying that I was going to Mr. Brunner for help with studying and snuck out.

Mr. Brunner's office wasn't that far from the boys dorm so it only took a few minutes to find the office and hear voices from the inside.

"...Alone this summer. I mean, a kindly one in the school! Now that we know for sure, and they know too-" Was that Grover? Was he talking about me. That didn't sound like something he would do...

"We would only make matters worse by rushing him. We need the boy to mature more." Mr. Brunner, was there anyone else there? Also, a kindly one? Was that what they called the bat thing in the museum? So that did happen and the gods were real. Great.

"But he may not have time. The summer solstice deadline-"

"Will be resolved without him, Grover. Let him enjoy his ignorance while he still can." Ignorance, that doesn't stay when you hear about this stuff does it? I already know about the gods, so if people could just fill me in on this stuff, then life will be better. I hate being left out of this stuff, the last times those happened, mother left to do her duty and I wouldn't know until the day she left and it'll be a quick goodbye.

"Sir, he saw her..."

"His imagination. The mist over the students and staff will be enough to convince him that." The mist, was that how Mrs. Dodds kept hidden?

"Sir, I... I can't fail my duties again. You know what that will mean."

"You haven't failed Grover.I should have seen her for who she was. Now let's worry about keeping Percy alive until next fall-." He stopped as my grip slacked from a cold realization as Mr. Brunner said my name. I picked it up and hid in the shadows as the shadow of Mr. Brunner grew and turned into a shadow of a horse. Okay, people really need to stop and fill me in then the world might actually not end. Where had that thought come from? Whatever.

Stupid ADHD, I skipped thoughts every few seconds and everything with that happened so fast. I almost missed Mr. Brunner's next sentence after he got out of his office with a bow. Great, weapons are included too, "Nothing. My nerves haven't been the same since the winter solstice." Everything seems to revolve around the darkest day of the year, what a coincidence the darkest day of the year is correlated with whatever things Grover and Mr. Brunner were talking about.

I walked quickly to the dorm, a few minutes before Grover slipped in and feigned sleep. Grover fell asleep soon enough, leaving me to lay there and think about what happened.

\-----------------------

Mr. Brunner called me to the front after the exams and tried to will away the images of the misspelled words swirling in my head. I looked at his grave face and wondered if he found out about my eavesdropping last night, but it was a different can of worms altogether that I really shouldn't be surprised about.

"Percy, don't be discouraged about leaving Yancy. It's... it's for the best." His voice was quiet but the others in the room could hear that I was being kicked out. I wanted to kick Yancy like my mom does to mother when she did something that mom didn't like. That'll teach her and I was already being kicked out, so I really won't be in that much more trouble. Mother would be proud of me for this, if I remember her correctly.

"Okay, sir" I mumbled back and turned to leave, my books clutched in my hand.

"I mean," I turned back to him, my eyes still downcast. "This isn't the right place for you. It was only a matter of time."

My eyes stung. "Thank you for teaching me though" I turned and left for good and not even Mr. Brunner trying to talk to me or Grover grabbing my hand made me turn back.

\---------------------------

It was a rich kid school, so the other boys in the dorm were talking about what fabulous things they were going to do over the summer and when they asked me, I shrugged and refused to answer. They eventually turned back to their conversation while I packed and made sure everything was ready.

"I'll miss you man." I was prepared to say goodbye to Grover, but he showed me his bus ticket that was the same one as mine. At least our goodbye will be postponed for a bit. We boarded the bus and I was trying to think of how I was going to say goodbye. We were really close during the year, he was helping me focus and I was protecting him from the bullies. I hope he'll be okay next year...

Grover kept on glancing around the bus nervously and it was getting on my nerves, so I decided to trip him up again.

"Looking for the kindly ones?" I smirked as he jumped up in fear and turned to me.

"Wha-what do you mean?" I smirked and then told him in detail about the night before final exams.

"You heard that much? Ugh."

"Why were you even there? Also, protecting me? You can't even handle the bullies." I felt my eyes soften.

"I was worried about how you were hallucinating about demon math teachers. So, I went to Mr. Brunner to see if there was anything to help you and-."

"Grover, I know what I saw. I know the gods were real. What, do you think that is the first time something happened that no one can explain? I've met weirder people before. That's the whole reason why I started studying the gods and science so much." I started feeling female again (I'm genderfluid, have been for like a year), and took my shoulder length hair out of it's ponytail as my eyes softened at Grover.

"You do?" Grover's eyes were wide.

"Yup, and this year just proves it."

"Well, here is my card. Um, call if you need anything." He gave me a card and I turned it a few times. Ugh, cursive.

Grover Underwood

Keeper

Half-blood Hill

Long Island, New York

(800) 009-0009

"What's Half-"

"Shh, don't say it. That's my summer address." I nodded as my heart sank at the reminder that Grover might be from a rich family.

"Okay, so I can come if I need you for this stuff?"

"Yeah." He was interrupted by the bus pulling over on the long stretch of a road we were on. The driver cursed and forced everyone out so he could fix it while we stood in the blistering heat. My ADHD acted up and I noticed a fruit stand on the other side of the 4 lane road with three old ladies knitting a huge sock. It looked like the sock could probably fit bigfoot. Yeah I know, that big.

The women looked ancient, silver hair and gaunt faces, the full old lady package. What was really weird was that they were looking right at me, as if weighing my soul.

"Grover, do you see them?" I asked the boy next to me.

"A-are they looking at you?" He looked as scared as he was when we talked about Mrs. Dodds.

"Yeah, weird right? They seem to be running out of yarn, I'm going to go help them and maybe get an apple for the way home." I looked both ways and ran to the other side, ignoring Grover's protests.

"Hello Ladies" I bowed slightly and saw another ball of the same color of string.

"Hello Percy Jackson." They caught me off guard with knowing my name, but I made sure not to let them know.

"Here is another ball of string. What are you making?" I held out the ball to them and asked politely.

"Pastries on socks with our familie's lives plastered on it. But sadly, each time we cut the string, someone dies in our family or in another's."

"How about I do it? Then one person's life won't be your fault Lady Fates." I gently took the scissors out of the middle lady's hand and proceeded to cut the string for a new ball of yarn. "I feel bad for you guys, having to do all these things to keep the very balance of the universe and nobody realizes the burden of your positions. At least now, that burden will be a little lighter." I smiled brightly and turned to leave. The one on the left stopped with a bony hand.

"Thank you Percy, we thank you so much."

"I'm just being a good person." I waved goodbye and crossed the streets once again, feeling a lot lighter even at Grover's despaired look. The Fates still were looking at me, but they seemed much younger, especially while smiling. I smiled back and got on the bus once more.

"What were you doing?"

"Taking a burden off of another's shoulders." I stared out the window the rest of the way and couldn't wait to see my mom, even if it meant dealing with Smelly Gabe.

\-------------------

Clotho watched as the young hero left the stand, already aware of the journey they would have to make and wished she could change it.

"She is nicer than I thought. Cutting the string for us, even if it meant sealing her own fate."

"Definitely a mix between Lady Sally and Poseida."

"Let's hope she isn't a huge terror like that." Sally Jackson was a strong woman who knew just what to do at any time. She even managed to make Poseida fear her kick, and the goddess didn't fear much at all, having grown up in Tartarus.

"She will have a lot of strength for her journey." With that, the three ladies and the fruit stand vanished from thin air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally another Chapter. I will try to update on weekends maybe, so look forward to that I guess.
> 
> Also, finally some real changes to the story! I've been waiting to finally change up the book. Percy is Genderfluid because sometimes I imagine them as a boy and sometimes as a girl with their actions, so there's that.


	3. #3: I learn to punch people and that rich people have horrible fashion sense

Okay, despite what I did earlier for the fates, I still do leave friends behind. That being said, as soon as the bus stopped next, I got off. To be fair, he was being a bit creepy with his muttering about how I am crazy enough to cut the string or something like that. Once he started looking at me like I was about to die though, then I started to get nervous and off the train. 

He had to use the bathroom and asked for me to wait for him. Normally, I would but read the earlier explanation if you want to know why. I ran a few blocks away and hailed a cab.

“East one-hundred-and-fourth and first.” I told the driver and relaxed a bit, watching the blue clouds through the window.

\-----------------------------  
A word about my amazing mom beforehand. Trust me, you’ll want to hear this and I might even provide an explanation of my mother too.

My mom’s name is Sally Jackson and she is the best person in the whole world, somehow being able to handle me, Smelly Gabe, and her 3 jobs at once. She has rotten luck, which should have never happened, but it did. 

When she was young, her parents died in a plane crash. She was going to be on that plane, but some bit of good luck made her sick and unable to board. After she got better, she was sent to her sick uncle and had to work extra hard to provide for them, selling almost everything they owned to afford for health care. She had to put her dream job of being a novelist and collage for her family, but when I asked her if she regretted it, she would always say that she would do it over and over again.

The only break she ever had in her life was meeting my mother. We don’t have any real pictures of mother, but I can remember bits and pieces of her and mom has some things she loved and created.  
I should probably tell you about mother. Her name was Poseida Olympia, her name is so ironic because she loved the ocean and part time helped with water pollution and part time in the Navy. Mother was a fearsome woman, imposing even the best with her presence alone. I should know, I’ve seen the people she worked with come to the doorstep and she answered with an annoyed look and they stuttered over their words the whole time. It was funny. 

Mother taught Mom how to do it too and I personally think Mom does it better, especially with her kick. I’ve seen Mother have bruises from it and they last for a few weeks longer than others did. I’ve overheard from Mom’s colleagues that Mother should have never taught Mom that, but I personally am glad for it.

Anyway, Mother had died in service saving her whole team from their blown submarine, drowning after she threw the last person onto the rescue ship. I still can remember her captain and subordinate’s faces as they came with the news of Mother’s death.

I was 2 when she died and the only things that we have to even show she was there physically were her old jacket I love to wear and a single picture from her service. From the picture and mom, she looks almost exactly like me. Black hair, sea-green eyes, strong, and kind.

Anyway, I now got out of the cab and paid the driver. I was glad to finally be home and near mom, hopefully Smelly Gabe’s horrific smell didn’t cover up the still lingering smell of Mother and blue candies that made it truly home.

Smelly Gabe is a huge jerk and only was nice the first 30 seconds we knew him, then being the biggest jerk in the world an I have met the bullies in each of my schools. And now he just lays around and plays poker like he has nothing else in the world. He somehow has a job as a superintendent for a electronic store, but never shows up for it all.

“So your home” He said around his cigaret and put down some cards and it became his buddie’s turn.

“Where’s mom?”

“Working, you got any cash?” I glared my best glare at him that usually made him cower, but luckily for him, he had his back turned to me. I took that time to see what kind of mood he was in.   
Somehow he gained weight, so instead of a medium-sized walrus, he looks like an overweight one. His hair cut was the same, bald but 3 greasy hairs on his head that he thinks combing them might work. Burning will work better than that.

Anyways, he never really greeted me like a normal person, and if he ever did then the world was sure to be ending or something like that. I usually gave it to him with no fuss and never told mom because I didn’t want to make things harder for her already, that and it was our “guy secret” which means if I ever told, he would punch my lights out. Which I doubt because his fastest speed was slower than the slowest sloth, but better to avoid conflict.

“I don’t have cash. I used it all for the cab.”

“Don’t lie to me boy” Girl “You had a 20 and paid a taxi driver and got 6 or 7 bucks in change. You live under my roof and you should be expected to pull your weight, right Eddie?”

“Come on Gabe, the kid just got here” The man tried to stand up to me, but Gabe was not having it.

“Am I right?” The other two passed gas in harmony and did their turns as I tried to get the smell out of my memory.

“Fine” I threw the cash from my pocket on the table and turned, my temper almost taking over me. 10… 9… 8…

“Don’t act so snotty Brain Boy. I saw your report card.” I glowered and slammed the door to my room.

Well, it wasn’t really a room especially during the school year, because Gabe used it as his ‘study’. I doubt he ever studied in his life, so that was an obvious lie to cover up that he uses it to store his magazines and cigarettes and shoves to stuff the little stuff I leave into the small closet.

I flop on my bed, the obvious reminder that I was a female for the moment in a male body showing itself. I hate my body sometimes, don’t you? 

My mind swirled with the Mrs. Dodds incident, the Fates greeting and talking to me, and Grover’s haunted face before Mom showed up.

“Percy?” She opened the door slightly and her slightly grey hair mixed with brown hair was shown as her eyes sparked in the light.

“Oh Percy, you’ve grown since Christmas!” She hugged me and brought out a bag of blue candy from the store she worked at today. I immediately attacked the blue sour strings while she ran a hand through my hair that I’ve been growing out a bit since Christmas and hoped to grow it a bit past my shoulders.

She smothered me for a bit before Gabe interrupted us with his annoying voice.

“Hey Sally- how about some bean dip, huh?” I wanted to punch his lights out, but mom put her hand on my arm and calmed me down. 

“Hey, calm down Percy. Now, tell me about your year.” I then told her about the year up until the museum, then I faltered. Do I want to tell her about that if it could just be a figment of my imagination?  
“What? Did something scare you?”

“No, mom” She didn’t seem satisfied, but left the subject alone and changed it.

“I have a surprise for you. We’re going to the beach” My eyes widened in surprise and happiness.

“Montauk?”

She nodded. “3 nights-same cabin”

“When?”

“As soon as I get changed.” She left as I smiled brightly and got packed once more. No more Smelly Gabe.

“Bean Dip, Sally. Did you hear me?” Smelly Gabe’s voice had to ruin my fun and I was so close to punching him so hard he would literally launch into next week. But Mom met my eyes and told me to be nice to him for just a bit. Fine, not that I was happy with it.

“I’m on my way Honey, I was just talking about the trip.” His eyes narrowed.

“You mean you were serious about that?”

“I knew it, he won’t let us go.” I left mom to bribe Gabe after that and hoped she did her magic.

\----------------------------------

Mom is very good at convincing people, so we got to go and are now on our way.

“Hey Percy, what do you want to do this time?” Each time they went, Mom taught or told me something special and I love it.

“Can you teach me your famous kick? Oh, make it a punch.” 

“Famous?” She asked in amusement and watched the empty road carefully.

“Yeah, everyone who has ever known you knows your kick, so it is famous and I want to have my own famous version of it to make everyone cower.” I laughed evilly and Mom rolled her eyes.  
“Fine, I’ll teach you. You will truly be known as my child after this. I can’t wait to watch people when they are around us.” Despite her being so kind and smart, even my Mom has an evil side and I love when it comes out.

\---------------------------------------

We eventually got to the cabin and I took in the familiar spiders in the corners along with the cobwebs and old cabinets. The water was beautiful right now, calm and probably too cold for someone to swim in, but I did anyway. How could I not, it’s been a tradition since I first went here as a baby with both of my parents.

It was more special to Mom than me anyway. This was the place she first met Mother, who saved her from a riptide out of nowhere. Mom always seemed to be younger than her years here and her eyes changed to the color of the sea as she relaxed and watched the waves.

We cleaned and ate once at the cabin then got outside so Mom can teach me my own version of her famous kick until sunset, where she finally decreed that I was good enough to stop for the night. I felt exhausted and almost fell asleep while eating (blue) marshmallows and smores. 

I fell asleep unprepared for the night to come.

\---------------------------

The dream was weird, an eagle attacking a horse. The sea and sky behind them seemed to strike each other as they did, which probably meant something that I couldn’t figure out over the instincts telling me to stop this. But there was one flaw in my instinct’s plan, I couldn’t move otherwise I would gladly have listened. 

The eagle slashed the horse's muzzle with its talons and the horse retaliated by kicking the eagle’s wings. I woke up after a few more lightning strikes in the distance and blows exchanged by the animals to my mom saying. “Hurricane” and forcing me up out of bed.

We were both in our PJs as there was a thundering knock on the door my mom answered.

“Searching all night. Where were you?” Was that Grover? What was he doing out in the middle of a hurricane, and was that new pants? The rich must have weird fashion statements or his style got worse in the span of a day without me. Also hooves were not a good shoe choice, even I would know that and I don’t even care about that stuff.

“Percy, what happened.” Even with Mom wearing a pink nightgown, she still looked terrifying and terrified at the same time. “What happened at school you didn’t tell me?” 

I was too frozen by shock by my dream and the hurricane and Grover to make a complete response or even tried to. Grover cursed in ancient greek like he does at times and said something that made everything oh so worse.

“It’s right behind me, didn’t you tell her?”

“I don’t know what is happening with everything conflicting everything, I was when I figured everything out, I swear, but I’m confused.” I cried out finally and could feel emotions choking me. Mom and Grover’s eyes softened and calmed down from the terrifying urgency in their tones.

“Just please tell me what you think may have happened Percy.” I managed to get out the story as Mom’s face darkened and she nodded gravely.

“What is happening? Mom, you seem to know, please tell me!” I asked her as she grabbed her purse and threw me a rain jacket.

“Grover will tell you in the car, now get in there now.” We ran to the car, lightning flashing anonymously and not making the situation better at all. I had a sudden image, like my life was flashing in my eyes. 

I stood in front of the woman that looked so much like my mom, with her long black hair and sea-green eyes. She seemed to be saying something.

“Remember Percy,” Her voice was gentle and calm. “Don’t trust someone until you know what brought them to that moment.” She turned after and started to walk away and I swear I saw someone who looked like me with shorter hair walk beside her and she didn’t seem to notice. Why do I feel like I have a connection to them?


End file.
